My name is Olena Kasian, and I’m one of the founders of SparkNet Art Hub and Gallery in Dublin.
SparkNet started very simply — out of the need for a space that actually works for artists and for the wider community. I’ve worked in and around the arts for years, and I kept seeing the same problem: artists struggling to find professional, accessible spaces to show their work, and people feeling that galleries weren’t really “for them.”
Together with Steve Bradbury, I took on a building that had been left unused and in poor condition for over five years and slowly turned it into a functioning gallery and community space. We did most of the work ourselves, step by step, focusing on what actually matters: interesting and vibrant exhibitions, welcoming people in, and creating a space that feels alive.
Today, SparkNet hosts regular exhibitions, open calls, workshops, talks, and community events. We work with artists at different stages of their careers, and we’ve built a strong audience that includes both artists and people who simply enjoy culture and creativity. The response from the community has been overwhelmingly positive, and the ground floor gallery is already working exactly as we hoped it would.
This Spacehive project isn’t about starting something new — it’s about expanding something that already works. With proper lighting and a few additional walls on the first floor, we can use the space properly, support more artists, and run open call exhibitions with no fees for artists and workshops at a time when many cultural spaces in Dublin are closing.
I’m deeply committed to keeping SparkNet open, accessible, and professionally run, and to continuing to invest time, energy, and care into this space for the benefit of the local creative community.
